Medical Billing and Coding

Why Choose AAPC for Your Billing & Coding Training?

AAPC set the standards for medical billing and coding — and created the CPB^® and CPC^® certifications, which, with few exceptions, are prerequisite for the profession. We specialize exclusively in healthcare business education, and our top-ranked training programs boast pass rates unmatched by any other medical billing and coding schools in the U.S.

Pass Rates of 80% and Higher

AAPC leads the healthcare business industry in the national accreditation of medical billers and coders, specialty coders, risk adjustment coders, clinical documentation specialists, medical auditors, healthcare compliance officers, and practice managers.

When you study with the creators of the CPB and CPC certifications, you get training with the same standard of excellence as the credential itself. What’s more, you’re ensured a comprehensive education that covers everything needed to pass the certification exam, earn your credential, and succeed in your career as a medical billing and coding professional.

Why study at an institution that bases its curriculum on AAPC’s when you can train directly with us?

We not only created the Certified Professional Biller (CPB) and Certified Professional Coder (CPC) accreditations, but we’ve been teaching medical billing and coding for more than 30 years. You can see proof of our success in the numbers. Pass rates for AAPC students exceed 80% compared to those who study with third-party programs with an average of 22%.

Flexible Study with In-Person and Online Course Options

We designed our medical billing and coding programs to fit your lifestyle, whether you’re currently employed or have limited time due to other responsibilities.

You’ll enjoy the greatest flexibility with our online courses, which allow you to train anywhere, at your pace and on your schedule. If you prefer structure but would like the convenience of training from home, you can select an instructor-led online course for medical coding and billing.

Our instructor-led online courses give you the opportunity to participate in the class with your fellow students and include 1.5 hours per week of one-on-one time with your instructor.

But if you learn best in a physical classroom setting, you’ll find medical billing and coding classes located across the country. When you search for an AAPC coding or billing course near you, you’ll find all the details, including the name and contact information of the AAPC-certified instructor.

Employment Support

We don't just train and certify at AAPC. We provide you with numerous resources to help you gain employment — including a regularly updated nationwide job database, a vast membership network, local AAPC chapters, regional and national conferences, as well as Project Xtern, which could set you up with great experience opportunities and a potential employer.

Career Advancement

AAPC stands with you throughout the duration of your career with ongoing support as you work to achieve important milestones. Our career counselors will help you maintain cutting-edge expertise, show you how much you’re worth to negotiate your salary, give you guidance on how to elevate earning potential, and give you tips and tricks to help you advance in the business of medicine.

Now Available! Instructor-led Training for CPC+CPB Learn More

What is Medical Billing and Coding?

Medical billing and coding is the process of identifying diagnoses, medical tests, treatments, and procedures found in clinical documentation and then transcribing this patient data into standardized codes to bill government and commercial payers for physician reimbursement.

What do medical billers and coders do?

Medical billers and coders are the healthcare professionals in charge of processing patient data, such as treatment records and related insurance information. Both medical billing and medical coding professions are involved in the medical reimbursement cycle, working together to ensure that healthcare providers are accurately and efficiently paid for the services they perform.

Increasing demands on providers and allied health clinicians with decreasing reimbursement requires medical offices to invest in highly skilled medical billers. An intimate understanding of medical insurance, the claims process, the appeals process, and the impact on revenue gives the medical biller the necessary knowledge to optimize revenue performance. The financial health of a practice depends on the effectiveness and overall performance of the billing office.

Medical Coding and Billing Job Descriptions

The primary job of a medical coder is to review clinical documentation to extract and translate billable information into medical codes using CPT^®, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II classification systems. Medical classification, or medical coding, is the process of translating medical reports into codes used within the healthcare industry. The use of medical codes helps summarize medical services and reports. These medical code sets help medical coders document the patient conditions and describe the healthcare procedure(s) performed to treat their conditions.

Medical billing is the process of submitting and following up on claims with health insurance companies to receive payment for services rendered by a healthcare provider. The medical biller needs to understand how to read medical records and, like the medical coder, be familiar with CPT^®, HCPCS Level II, and ICD-10-CM codes. Medical billing translates a healthcare service into a medical billing claim. The responsibility of the medical biller is to follow the claim to ensure the practice receives proper reimbursement. While medical billers’ duties vary based on where they work, they typically fulfill front-end and back-end jobs that include gathering patient information, entering charges, verifying health plan coverage, securing prior authorizations, collecting copays, and “scrubbing” claims to ensure that procedure, diagnosis, and modifier codes are accurate before transmitting claims to payers and posting payments.